A Year Later, Suspect In Fatal Shooting Jailed

HAMPTON — When Juanita Gainey came home in the early morning hours of Feb. 15, 2002, she found a note from police telling her that her son had been shot in Norfolk.

Derick Williams died hours later from a gunshot wound to the head. Since then, Gainey said, her life has been a nightmare.

But Tuesday, the Newport News mother hoped to finally get some peaceful sleep after hearing that the man charged with killing her 29-year-old son had been arrested.

Monday night, Hampton police arrested 23-year-old Michael Joseph Grate after getting a disturbance call from the Derby Run Apartments. Grate was wanted on a firearm charge in Hampton, as well as murder and firearm charges in Norfolk. He is being held without bond in the Norfolk jail.

For more than a year, Grate eluded authorities who believed he shot Williams after the two had some type of confrontation in the Waterside parking garage. Police say Grate followed Williams out of the parking garage. Williams, who lived in Newport News, turned onto Freemason Street, stopped and got out of his car. A shot fired from inside a car going past Williams struck him in the head, police say.

Until Tuesday, Gainey struggled with knowing that Grate, who was charged two days after the shooting, remained free.

"I was happy and sad at the same time," Gainey said of hearing about Grate's arrest.

"All of this is not going to bring Derick back. But it is some type of closure for me, because there is going to be justice served."

Though she didn't know what caused the friction between Grate and her son, Gainey said the two had apparently had another confrontation in January 2002.

To find out what happened, Gainey said, she plans to be at Grate's trial in Norfolk every day.

"I want to know why," she said. "What was the reason?"

WAVY TV 10 contributed to this report.

Jessie Halladay can be reached at 247-4799 or by e-mail at jhalladay@dailypress.com